Golf-practicing device

ABSTRACT

A golf-practicing device having a molded, integral driven member rotatively mounted on a substantially upright post attached to a resilient, flexible mat. The driven member includes a head portion rotatively mounted on the post, a ball portion at its free end which overlies the mat in spaced relation, and a rod portion interconnecting the head portion and ball portion and extending laterally at the post. The molded, integral driven member is constructed of a resilient material, the head portion and ball portion being substantially the size of the conventional golf ball, and the interconnecting rod portion being of sufficient cross section to preclude permanent deformation when the ball portion is struck by a golf club. A spacer of resilient material is located on the post between the mat and the head portion of the driven member, the spacer providing a bearing for the rotative head portion and extending laterally of the post for a distance short of the ball portion. The spacer maintains the ball portion in spaced relation above the mat. The driven device is freely rotated on the post when the ball portion is struck by the golf club. In one embodiment a pair of rigid plates are provided one above and one below the mat, the post extending through the mat and secured to the rigid plate. This construction provides a unit that can be utilized both indoors and outdoors. In another embodiment particularly suite for outdoor use, an elongate sleeve, constituting a socket, is inserted into the ground to provide a permanent anchorage. In usage, the post extends through the mat and into the socket to secure the mat to the ground.

United States Patent Schroeder [54] GOLF-PRACTICING DEVICE Arthur C.Schroeder, 730 Emerson Road, Creve Coeur, Mo. 63141 22] Filed: July22,1969

21 Appl. No.1 843,626

[72] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. ..273/l97 R, 273/200 R [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 69/36 [58]Field ofSearch ..273/l84,185,196,197,198,

, 273/200; 73/379 TB, 380 A, 381 G Primary Examiner-George J. MarloAttomeyCohn and Powell [57] ABSTRACT A golf-practicing device having amolded, integral driven member rotatively mounted on a substantiallyupright post attached to a resilient, flexible mat. The driven memberincludes 5] Feb. 22, 1972 a head portion rotatively mounted on the post,a ball portion at its free end which overlies the mat in spacedrelation, and a rod portion interconnecting the head portion and ballportion and extending laterally at the post. The molded, integral drivenmember is constructed of a resilient material, the head portion and ballportion being substantially the size of the conventional golf ball, andthe interconnecting rod portion being of sufficient cross section topreclude permanent deformation when the ball portion is struck by a golfclub. A spacer of resilient material is located on the post between themat and the head portion of the driven member, the spacer providing abearing for the rotative head portion and extending laterally of thepost for a distance short of the ball portion. The spacer maintains theball portion in spaced relation above the mat. The driven device isfreely rotated on the post when the ball portion is struck by the golfclub.

In one embodiment a pair of rigid plates are provided one above and onebelow the mat, the post extending through the mat and secured to therigid plate. This construction provides a unit that can be utilized bothindoors and outdoors.

In another embodiment particularly suite for outdoor use, an elongatesleeve, constituting a socket, is inserted into the ground to provide apermanent anchorage. ln usage, the post extends through the mat and intothe socket to secure the mat to the ground.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB22 an ARTHUR C. SCHROEDERINVENTOR ATTORNEYS GOLF-PRACTICING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThere have been many different types of practice balls utilized bygolfers. Some of these balls have been made of plastic and provided withholes so that they will not travel any appreciable distance when hit. Ofcourse, the disadvantage with special balls is that the golfer has tohave a number of them in order to be of practical use and that he stillhas to retrieve them for subsequent use.

There are several different types of golf-practicing devices, all ofwhich have a complicated structure utilizing a multiplicity of parts. Insome of these units, golf balls are attached to a separate elongate rodor to a flexible and/or elastic cord. A separate rod is weak and iseasily bent when the ball is struck by a golf club. A flexible and/orelastic cord presents a dangerous situation in that the cord can breakeasily under such impact and the direction of ball travel is highlyerratic when constrained by such cord. These prior units cannotwithstand the repeated shock 4 impact when struck by a golf club.Moreover, none of these units give the golfer the realistic feel ofhitting a real golf ball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to an improvedgolf-practicing device, and more particularly to a unit of this typethat can be utilized indoors or outdoors with equal facility.

The present golf-practicing device is of simple, durable constructionutilizing a minimum of parts. The molded, integral means is resilient,yet of sufficient rigidity, so that it will withstand the shock impactof being struck repeatedly by a golf club without deformation, and willgive the golfer the realistic feel of hittinga real ball. The drivenmeans will rotate freely about a stationary substantially upright post,and eliminates the problem of the golfer retrieving a struck ball.

In the present golf-practicing device, an integral driven means isrotatively mounted on a substantially upright post that is attached to asubjacent surface-protecting means. The driven means includes anenlarged head portion rotatively mounted on the post, an enlarged ballportion at its free end that overlies, yet is' spaced above, thesurface-protecting means, and a short rod portion integrallyinterconnecting the head portion and ball portion and extendinglaterally of the post. The driven means is freely rotated on the postwhen the ball portion is struck by a golf club.

The integral driven means is constructed of a molded, resilientmaterial. The head portion and ball portion of the driven means aresubstantially the size of a conventional golf ball, and theinterconnecting rod portion is of sufficient cross section to precludedeformation when the ball portion is struck by a golf club,

A spacer is provided on the post and is located between thesurface-protecting means and the head portion of the driven means, thespacer providing a bearing for the rotative driven means and holding theball portion in predetermined spaced relation above thesurface-protecting means.

The surface-protecting means is preferably a resilient flexible mat thatconforms to the contour of the supporting surface and protects both thesupporting surface and the golf club. The spacer is also preferablyconstructed of a resilient material to provide a shock-absorbing bearingfor the rotative driven means.

In one embodiment, a pair of rigid plates are provided, one above andone below the mat, the post extending through the mat and secured to therigid plates. This construction provides a unit that can be utilizedwith equal facility both indoors and outdoors. In another embodiment,the supporting subjacent surface such as the ground is provided with anelongate socket. The post extends through the mat and into the socket toanchor the mat to the ground. This constructions provides a unit that isespecially adapted for outdoor use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thegolf-practicing device;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment especially adaptedfor outdoor use, and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment especially adapted forboth indoor and outdoor use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now by characters ofreference to the drawing, and first to FIG. 1, it will be understoodthat the golf-practicing device includes a flexible resilient mat l0,constituting a subjacent surface-protecting means. A substantiallyupright post 11 is secured to the mm 10, the post 11 rotatively mountinga molded, integral driven means 12. A resilient spacer 13 is locatedabout the post 11 and located between the driven means 12 and mat 10 soas to hold the driven means 12 in predetermined spaced relationshipabove the mat 10.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 illustrates a unit that can be used indoorsand/or outdoors with equal facility. The mat 10 can be constructed of aresilient material such as rubber, polyvinyl, artificial turf such asASTROTURF and the like. The mat 10 is flexible so that it will conformeither to the contour of the ground outdoors or to a floor indoors. Theresilient, durable characteristics of the mat 10 will protect the golfclub that is used to strike the driven means 12 and will protect thesubjacent supporting surface whether it be the ground or a floor fromthe impact of the club.

The substantially upright post 11 includes an elongate shank 14 having athreaded lower end 15 extending through the mar 10. A pair of rigidmetal plates 16 and 17 are located about the post 11 on opposite sidesof the mat 10. A nut 20 is fixed as by welding to the upper side ofmetal plate 17 and is located in a recess formed in the underside of mat10. The threaded end 15 of post shank 14 is threadedly attached to thenut 20. Another nut 21 is threadedly mounted on the post end 15 and isclamped against the upper side of metal plate 16. The nuts 20 and 21clamp the metal plates 16 and 17 to the opposite sides of mat l0, andcooperate with such plates 16 and 17 to mount the post 1 1 in thesubstantially upright position.

The upper end of post 11 is provided with an enlarged cap 22 thatprevents the driven means 12 from flying off of the post 11 when struckby the golf club, and otherwise precludes unintentional disassembly ofthe driven means 12.

Located about the post 11 and mounted over the uppermost plate 16, is aspacer 23 constructed of a resilient material such as rubber, polyvinylor the like. Preferably, the underside of the spacer 23 is provided witha recess 24 that receives the nut 21.

The driven means 12 is constructed of a relatively hard, durable yetresilient material such as rubber, polyvinyl or the like. The drivenmeans 12 includes a head portion 25 having a bore 26 that receives thepost shank 14. A ball portion 27 is integrally connected to the headportion 25 by a relatively short rod portion 30. The head portion 25 ofthe driven-means 12 is rotatively mounted on the post 11 and engages theresilient spacer 23. The ball portion 27 and head portion 25 approximatethe size of a conventional golf ball. The resilient spacer 23 forms abearing for the head portion 25 and holds the ball portion 27 in apredetermined spaced relationship above the mat 10. The periphery ofspacer 23 terminates short of the ball portion 27 so that there is noobstruction or interference with the club head as the club head is movedover the mat 10 and strikes the ball portion 27.

It is thought that the functional advantages of the golf-practicingdevice have become fully apparent from the foregoing description ofparts, but for completeness of disclosure, the usage will be brieflydescribed.

The mat 10 is placed on the floor or the ground, and the driven means 12is rotated in position so that the rod portion The device enables thegolfer to practice his swing and attain the realistic feel of hitting areal golf ball. The driven means 12 is constructed as described above topreclude deformation and can be used for an indefinite period of time.The unit is completely portable and can be used anywhere.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 is especially adapted for outdoor use. Withthis unit, a tubular sleeve, constituting a socket 31 is installed inthe ground 32. The socket 31 can be provided by a bore star-drilled in aconcrete or asphalt slab or a hole drilled through a block of wood. Inthe embodiment shown, the sleeve 31 is permanently installed in aconcrete block 33 in the ground 32.

The resilient mat 10 is provided with a hole 34 through which the post11 can extend. The resilient spacer 23 is located over the mat l and isheld in position by the post 11. The driven means 12 is of the identicalconstruction as previously described.

To utilize this unit, the mat is located on the ground with the hole 34aligned with the sleeve 31. Then, the post 1 l is inserted through themat hole 34 and into the sleeve 31 to anchor the mat l0 securely inposition. The unit can then be used in the same manner as the unit ofFIG. 3.

I claim as my invention:

1. A golf-practicing device, comprising:

a. a subjacent surface-protecting means,

b. a substantially upright post attached to the surface-protectingmeans,

c. a unitary, integrally molded one-piece driven means including:

1. an enlarged head portion rotatively mounted on the post,

2. an enlarged ball portion at its free end, the ball portion overlying,yet spaced above the surface-protecting means, and

3. a rod portion interconnecting the head portion and ball portion andextending laterally of the post, the driven means being freely rotatedon the post when the ball portion is struck by a golf club,

d. the surface-protecting means being a flexible mat adapted to conformto the contour of the subjacent supporting surface,

e. the rod portion of the integral driven means being of a cross sectionto substantially preclude deformation when the ball portion is struck bya golf club, and

f. means for holding the driven means in a substantially horizontalposition spaced above and overlying the surface-protecting means.

2. A golf-practicing device as defined in claim 1, in which:

a pair of rigid plates are provided, one above and one below the mat,the post extending through the mat and secured to the rigid plates, eachplate having an area smaller than the area of the mat.

1. A golf-practicing device, comprising: a. a subjacentsurface-protecting means, b. a substantially upright post attached tothe surfaceprotecting means, c. a unitary, integrally molded one-piecedriven means including:
 1. an enlarged head portion rotatively mounTedon the post,
 2. an enlarged ball portion at its free end, the ballportion overlying, yet spaced above the surface-protecting means, and 3.a rod portion interconnecting the head portion and ball portion andextending laterally of the post, the driven means being freely rotatedon the post when the ball portion is struck by a golf club, d. thesurface-protecting means being a flexible mat adapted to conform to thecontour of the subjacent supporting surface, e. the rod portion of theintegral driven means being of a cross section to substantially precludedeformation when the ball portion is struck by a golf club, and f. meansfor holding the driven means in a substantially horizontal positionspaced above and overlying the surfaceprotecting means.
 2. an enlargedball portion at its free end, the ball portion overlying, yet spacedabove the surface-protecting means, and
 2. A golf-practicing device asdefined in claim 1, in which: a pair of rigid plates are provided, oneabove and one below the mat, the post extending through the mat andsecured to the rigid plates, each plate having an area smaller than thearea of the mat.
 3. a rod portion interconnecting the head portion andball portion and extending laterally of the post, the driven means beingfreely rotated on the post when the ball portion is struck by a golfclub, d. the surface-protecting means being a flexible mat adapted toconform to the contour of the subjacent supporting surface, e. the rodportion of the integral driven means being of a cross section tosubstantially preclude deformation when the ball portion is struck by agolf club, and f. means for holding the driven means in a substantiallyhorizontal position spaced above and overlying the surface-protectingmeans.